The best way to keep track of headings is to list all your headings on scratch paper. When you see them all at once, you'll have a much better idea of the overall organization of your paper and of the headings' relationships to one another. Furthermore, you will find that formatting APA style is much easier when you can view the headings together.

Once you have them all set up, transfer the styles to your paper. D
on't forget that the section titles (abstract title, title of the paper, reference page title) are always formatted as Style 1 headings. Rarely will you need more than three levels of headings, and two may suffice. .

Sections 3.31 and 5.10 of the APA manual provide details about headings, but the sections must be read very carefully. The style 5 heading (all uppercase and centered) is very rarely used, so double check with your instructor or advisor if you find yourself typing it.

Remember that headings require no special spacing between lines. They follow the
double-space pattern of the rest of the paper. They require no special font effects except for the italicizing of style 2, 3, and 4 headings.

What students seem to find most difficult about headings is that the sequence of styles changes according to the number of headings used. What does that mean?

How do I format appendix headings?

The title of the appendix is separate from any headings that may fall in the appendix.
Therefore, every appendix will have a uniform layout: "Appendix," centered at the top of the page and a title, centered (with uppercase and lowercase letters). The text below the title then follows the standard headings as described in this website.